There’s more to information technology

BY UBONG NSEKPONG

I turned sluggishly on my mattress and felt a slight ache on my ribs. The long nights I witness recently seems to add more pains to the existing ones.  With the level of patronage IT practitioners garner in the state one is forced to shut down his system completely as against hibernation which is common in the practice. I reached out for my psalter to say the morning prayers but the constant text and social media alert on my phone was a great cause of distraction. I therefore decided to turn off the alerts before approaching the throne of my creator for thanksgiving which was more of a daily ritual.

Addressing insecurity on School campuses

BY PRISCILLA CHRISTOPHER

Security, according to Wiktionary.org is the condition of  not being threatened, especially physically, psychologically, mentally, spiritually emotionally or financially by anybody or force. Issues of insecurity have often raised concern in troubled states and countries who have little or no provision for security. This is why some weak states/countries opt for support from nearby or stronger nations when it is necessary. The campus, being a unit of the larger society is also one place where insecurity is almost inevitable. Issues of cult clashes, disagreements between and among students and the school management, neighbouring disputes as well as strikes often challenge the security modalities of institutions.

Gov. Udom Emmanuel pledges commitment to healthcare delivery in the State

Akwa Ibom State Governor Mr. Udom Emmanuel has advised citizens to engage the services of qualified and experienced medical personnel in government approved hospitals to attend to their health needs.
Governor Udom Emmanuel gave the advice at The Apostolic Church, 69 Oron road where he attended the church service. He said his office has been inundated with complaints of poor services provided by some of our medical personnel in health institutions. The State Chief Executive frowned at the situation where medical doctors hurriedly carry out surgery on patients without proper diagnosis stressing that such patients usually leave the patients with permanent injury even as others do not survive to tell the tale of the outcome of such surgeries. Please if you are sick or somebody that you know is sick; don’t patronize a doctor with doubtful experience. A lot of deaths could have been avoided if the personnel were painstaking in their diagnosis. The situation is that, once a Doctor sees a patient, he rushes to administer treatment without adequate information on the ailment. The Commissioner of health is doing a whole lot about this. That is why we are in a haste to ensure that St. Luke’s hospital, Anua, receives immediate attention so as to provide health care services within Uyo and its environs. If you go there now, you will witness work in progress. i don’t like people patronizing quackery, I value the life of every Akwa Ibom citizen.

Church agog as Rector, MAN Oron holds thanksgiving

 …Warns politicians against sabotage

 Stakeholders, well wishers and friends of the Rector, Maritime Academy of Nigeria, MAN, Oron, Amb. (Dr.) Joshua Okpo, recently in large number converged at the Testimony Assembly, Oron, for a thanksgiving service in honour of the Rector over his reappointment for a second term of four years by President Buhari. Speaking at the thanksgiving service, the Rector recalled that his journey to Oron was a great task, particularly when he was a Director in the Federal Ministry of Transport and had dreamt of becoming a Permanent Secretary in the course of the service as a career public servant.

Invest in Akwa Ibom, Umanah tells investors

Aniekan Umanah

The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr. Aniekan Umanah has called on investors to emulate the shining example of Chemax Power Plaza by investing in Akwa Ibom State as a way of keying into the industrialization policy of Governor Udom Emmanuel. The Commissioner made the call last weekend during the official opening ceremony of Chemax Power Plaza at 124 Aka road, Uyo.  Mr.Umanah who was represented by his director of Technical Services, Mr. Inyang Jameson gave the assurance that such investments would be successful since Akwa Ibom is the most peaceful state in the country. He commended the chief executive officer of Chemax Power Plaza for the initiative, pointing out that by this investment the business outfit has offered employment to youths and has assisted government in combating poverty.

We did not reject Udom’s letter - AKHA Finance and Appropriation Chairman

Rt. Hon. Usoro Akpanusoh

BY EMMANUEL AKPAN

The Chairman House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Rt. Hon. Usoro Akpanusoh has said the House of Assembly did not reject the Governor Udom Emmanuel’s letter. It could be recalled that the State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel had sent a letter to the House of Assembly on Tuesday asking the House to give him an approval to restructure commercial banks loan into Federal Government bonds. The Finance and Appropriation Committee Chairman while briefing newsmen last Friday at the House Committee’s Conference room, said the letter was after passing through first reading by the clerk was referred to his committee which he had taken step to invite the State Commissioner of Finance in order to brief the committee on some issues. 

Corrections to recent misleading information about Obong University

Obong University

The management of Obong University, Obong Ntak in Etim Ekpo local Government of Akwa Ibom state has described as false and erroneous the malicious publications emanating from some Akwa Ibom state-based newspapers that 11 private universities including Obong University who received provisional licences by the National Universities Commission, NUC are substandard. In an official press release by Obong University signed by the Registrar of the institution, Mr Imoh Akpanudo on behalf of the Vice Chancellor, Professor Udoudo Ekanemesang, the institution explained that contrary to the false reports published by some tabloids, that the 11 private universities in the country including Obong University were substandard or had lost their licences, the truth remains that these universities were given 2 years extension of their provisional licenses.
Professor Ekanemesang hinted that at the recent ceremony at the headquarters of the NUC, nine (9) universities were given Permanent licences while eleven (11) were given provisional licences, stressing that these universities were given provisional licences because less than 80% of their programmes were fully accredited.

Usoro Akpanusoh suggests one IRS account for A’Ibom

L-R: Hon. Idongesit Ituen, Hon. Usoro Akpanusoh and Barr Onofiok Luke during a press briefing at AKHA Committee Conference room ... last Friday

BY EMMANUEL AKPAN

The member representing Esit Eket/Ibeno State Constituency, Rt. Hon. Usoro Akpanusoh in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly has suggested the creation of an Akwa Ibom State Government consolidation Internally Generated Revenue Account, where all revenues of the State government collected by the appointed collecting banks are regularly and centrally transferred to before affecting government expenditures and other charges on the revenue. Usoro Akpanusoh stated this last Thursday while chatting with newsmen in his office Akpanusoh who is the Chairman, House Committee on Finance and Appropriation said the State should create an Inter-Ministerial, Departments and Agencies Revenue Collection platform at the Internal Service (IRS) of the State with IRS as the sole revenue collector for government for effective collection and consolidation of all government revenues.

Eket community to enjoy trading in an Ultra Modern Market

David Lawrence

The people of Eket Local Government Area will soon enjoy trading business as the old Urua Nka in the area will soon be converted to an ultra modern market. The project is initiated by the Member representing Eket state constituency in the State House of Assembly, Hon. David Lawrence Udofa, and is to be undertaken by CICASA (West Africa) Company Ltd after a stipulated period. This information was disclosed by Hon. David Udofa during his meeting and formal briefing with the Chairman and members of Eket Transition Committee in the office of the Transition Committee Chairman, Mr. Frank Archibong on Thursday, August 13th, 2015. During the meeting, the House member disclosed that the project will cost about nine (9) billion naira with a total capacity of 5,000 shops which he said will be completed within 24 months, adding that the state Government has already given approval for the project.

PHEDC sacks A’Ibom indigenes, retrenches ors

- Affected workers protest in Uyo 

National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) protesting

Following the outright dismissal of employees and retrenchment/termination of appointment of indigenes of Akwa Ibom state working in the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution company– PHEDC, affected staff of the company, on Thursday 20th August 2015 took to the streets to protest against the act which they described as “Nepotism, Unethical and man’s inhumanity to man” that has embedded the company since it was changed from Power Holdings Company of Nigeria, PHCN. The protesting workers who matched in their numbers around Paul Bassey, one of the popular streets in Uyo, chanted war songs but were cordoned by a detached team of policemen and members of the Join Taskforce (ADUMA). The aggrieved workers also barricaded the entrance of the company’s office in Uyo barring other staffers from performing their official duties.

Oro Traditional Rulers, Youths, ors back Rector MAN Oron reappointment

Okpo

Against the backdrop of the recent comment made by Governor Udom Emmanuel to the effect that the reappointment of the Rector of Maritime Academy of Nigeria, MAN, Oron, Amb (Dr.) Joshua Okpo, for a second term of four years was selfish and against the dream of the envisaged Maritime University, which attracted wild condemnations from all quarters, the Council of Oro Traditional Rulers have risen in support of president Buhari’s wise decision to renew the appointment of the Rector, MAN, Oron. In a letter of congratulatory message addressed to the Rector, dated August 7th, 2015 and signed by the Secretary, Council of Oro Traditional Rulers, Offong Nyong I. Nkereuwem, the Royal Fathers note “Your reappointment has ushered in another regime of purposeful, transparent and focused leadership in the Academy. You are an acknowledged bridge builder and an epitome of true and detribalized Administrator whose first tenure witnessed monumental development of the Academy”.

Remembering Samuel Sochukwuma Okwaraji (May 19, 1964- August 12, 1989)

Late Samuel Okwaraji

BY AMOS ETUK

It was a lovely Saturday  in Lagos State. The sun shone brightly and the excitement not only in the commercial city of Nigeria was also across the country especially as a crucial World Cup qualifier was to be played later that afternoon. The city of Lagos is one town where football fanaticism remains at its highest in the country and when any favourite team fails to live aboard expectations, then you must be ready for the scathing attacks passionate Lagos fans would dole on you especially during the days of rivalry with ferocious supporters of Stationary Stores Football Club, ACB, First Bank, Julius Berger and others.